A LANDMARK Blackburn pub is to be transformed into a ‘fine dining’ Indian restaurant.

The former Woodlands Hotel in Beardwood is undergoing a £750,000 refurbishment and has been described by its owners as an "exciting addition" to the town's hospitality industry.

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The Preston New Road eatery will be able to handle more than 300 covers when it opens in August.

One of the restaurant’s six partners, Ishtiaq Hussain, 37, of HPA Solicitors in Blackburn said the £750,000 refurbishment is an exciting new venture for the group.

The pub has had a full makeover while holding onto most of its original architecture.

A floor-to-ceiling glass entrance has been built as part of a new extension and Mr Hussain said he hopes to have around 40 parking spaces with disabled access.

He said: “Myself and the other partners are all good friends and wanted to go into a new venture and try something new.

“We were excited about this property when it went on the market as we knew it was in a very deferrable place.

“It was a very iconic pub that attracted a lot of customers and we want to keep the name but bring the space into the 21st century.

“All the guys are Blackburn-born and bred and we want to reinvest back into our home towns and provide a very high quality restaurant.

“When you think of eating out in Blackburn, a lot of people think of fast food and takeaways, but we want to bring a lot more than that.

“We have pooled our resources together and we believe we have done a very good job here.”

The bottom floor will hold the majority of customers and will include a bar and kitchen, while upstairs could be used for more tables or bigger functions.

The new restaurant is set to be open in the first week of August after a soft opening. Fellow partner, Mohsin Patel, 38, a pharmacist in Blackburn, said: “We saw there was a gap in the market that desperately needs filling.“The idea is to have very high standard of food for everyone in the town and further afield. It’s an exciting addition to Blackburn.”